Seiridium cupressi is the common cause of cypress canker in south-eastern Australia

Cypress canker is a common disease in south-eastern Australia. The taxonomy of the Seiridium species that cause the disease has been debated due to variable morphological characters, but in Australia most workers have followed H.J. Swart and called the pathogen Seiridium unicorne. Using β-tubulin gene intron sequences, five Australian cultures were determined to be S. cupressi, rather than S. unicorne. Morphological identification of a range of herbarium specimens confirmed that S. cupressi is the common cause of cypress canker in south-eastern Australia.